The US Senate has taken a key step towards imposing new, sweeping energy and economic restrictions on Moscow.
By an overwhelming majority of 86 votes “for“ to 12 “against“, senators approved a procedural motion to advance the bill, officially called the “Lindsey O. Graham Russia and Iran Sanctions Act of 2026“. Information about the vote was confirmed in reports by leading world media outlets such as Reuters (www.reuters.com) and the Associated Press (apnews.com).
The vote in the Capitol chamber took place at an extremely emotional moment – just hours after the official mourning ceremony for Senator Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly earlier this month. A special guest of the proceedings was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who watched the debates directly from the front row of the Senate gallery after a meeting with US President Donald Trump. According to information from BTA (www.bta.bg) and Dnevnik (www.dnevnik.bg), Zelensky described the legislative act as a powerful signal of support and a key tool for stopping the financing of the Russian military machine.
What does the new sanctions bill provide?
The new regulatory act is mainly aimed at blocking the Kremlin's revenues from energy exports. The text gives the US president extraordinary powers to impose targeted economic measures. Its main highlights include:
Sanctions on buyers of oil and gas: The measures target the five largest buyers of Russian energy worldwide, as well as the five countries that most actively help circumvent the imposed restrictions. Dramatic tariffs: President Donald Trump will have the right to impose punitive tariffs of up to 100% on imported goods from countries that continue to trade extensively with Russian raw materials (including India, China and some EU countries). Pressure on Iran: The document also integrates additional restrictions against the Iranian energy and arms sectors, given the current situation and military tensions in the Middle East.
Disagreements and next steps in Congress
Despite categorical bipartisan support, the texts have sparked serious internal debates within the Democratic Party. Some representatives have expressed concerns that the bill gives President Trump too broad and uncontrolled opportunity to use tariffs as a trade weapon, which could potentially threaten economic relations with US allies.
The procedural approval paves the way for a final vote in the Senate, which is expected later this week. Since the House of Representatives is currently on a planned summer recess, the final adoption of the law and its sending to the president's desk for signature will occur in early September at the earliest, according to analysts from CNBC (www.cnbc.com) and The Hill (www.thehill.com).